Three Baby Girls in April of '92

Two of my dear friends from UM Law, Class of '86, are Mike and Jeff. We met as 1Ls, and all married up. D1 was the first child born to this group, and Loni and Lili, seeing how easy a baby she was, decided to have daughters, too. But Wifey and I beat them to the baby punch: D2 was born in February, 1992.

Amanda followed close behind, on February 29, 1992, meaning that she is today only 6 years old, and Melinda came in early March.

One of my happiest memories is a party Jeff and Lili threw at their house in South Miami, in April of '92. Maybe it was following Melinda's baby naming. We placed the three baby girls in their car seats on the living room floor, all wearing ribbons around their heads. Lili's father, Dr. Roberto Cano, long since passed, was taking photos, and I noticed most of them were of D2. I went up to him and asked if he could send us copies, and he was puzzled -- why would we want all those pictures of his granddaughter? I laughed -- and pointed out to him that Melinda was his, and that he was taking pix of D2. He laughed, and it really wasn't his fault -- they all kind of looked alike.

Those three babies all grew into amazing young women. Amanda and D2 remained very close friends -- it helped that they went to Middle School and High School together.  Melinda went off to Dartmouth, Amanda to USC in LA, and D2 up to Florida. Amanda works in the entertainment business in LA, D2 is a corporate recruiter in New Jersey, and Melinda is getting a Master's in Architecture at Yale.

And today, the first of that trio of adorable baby girls is getting married -- Melinda is marrying a fine young man she met at Summer camp. Tom grew up in Israel and is now a nurse in New Haven. He's tall and handsome and very, very nice.

So this afternoon we'll head to Temple Beth Am, the VERY wealthy reform temple 10 minutes away. I know Jeff and Lili will be beaming. Mike and I will be drinking. It'll be a privilege to see our friend's wonderful daughter begin her life with her beloved.

And I know I'll have "Sunrise, Sunset" playing in my head. That song, better than any other I know, reflects the wistfulness of aging -- watching babies grow to become brides and grooms, as the years swiftly flow past.

The three young women turn 27 in the coming months. Their births seem much closer in time.

On NYE, Amanda came by our house with Ben after dinner at Joe's. I caught a glimpse of her and D2 giggling together at something. It brought me back in time.

It's lovely getting to mark the milestones of life. Today is a huge one. I'm lucky to attend.